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Noonan's hit among Giants' notable firsts

4/7/13: Nick Noonan lines a frozen rope to center field for a single in the ninth, collecting the first hit of his Major League career

By Willie Bans
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Special to MLB.com |

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bad as it was facing a double-digit deficit in the ninth inning Sunday, the Giants had a positive -- three positives, actually -- to take away.

First, Brandon Belt broke out of an 0-for-13 slump with a clean single to right. After that, pinch-hitter Nick Noonan followed with his first Major League hit, a single to center off Joe Kelly. Then pinch-hitter Guillermo Quiroz scored Belt with a line-drive single to center -- his first hit and RBI with the Giants -- for the final run in a 14-3 loss.

Noonan, a 23-year-old rookie on his first Opening Day roster, made his debut Wednesday and had gone 0-for-2 pinch-hitting this season.